Improvement in safety-strips for packing-cases



amil

@time SAMUEL BAKE n, or NEWARK, RsEY.

Laws Patent No. 86,492, zaad Fama/y 2,1869.

The Schedule referred to in these Lettera Patentand making part of the same.

To all 'whom it Iur/y cocern Be it known that I, SAMUEL BAKER, of the city of Newark, in the county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Safety-Strip for Packing-Gases; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and vexact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The object of my invention is to provide a means by which any tampering with a package of goods, after it has left the hands of the consigner, may be detected with the utmost certainty; thus avoiding the possibility of loss by the dishonesty of carriers and others through whose hands the package may have to pass 'in order to vreach its destination. It is well-known 'that'of late very numerous and heavy losses have been sustained opened the packages entrusted to their care, and abstracted valuable goods, replacing them with o thers of inferior quality, and thus -occasioning heavy losses to the owners, as well'as much annoyance and misunderstanding between merchants and their customers, on account of the goods, on arrival, not corresponding with vthe order.

The nature of my invention consists in the use or. employment of a strip of tin or other suitable sheetmetal, and elastic rubber or other suitable elastic material, the strip of metal being serrated on the edges, and doubled longitudinally up the middle, so as to bring the serrated edges together, between which is inserted the elastic strip, of suitable width, andrmly fixed by the two sides or serrated edges of the metal strip being pressed closely together. A suitable length ofthe strip, made after this manner, is nailed inside the end of the packingfcase on which it is desired to use it, in' such a vmanner that the serrated edges shall rise a little above the edge of the case, when the serrated edge next the wood is turned down, and pressed or driveninto the upper surface of the end of the packing-case, while the elastic strip is stretched over the end-of the packing-case to its utmost tension, and tacked down temporarily on the outside. Vhen the packing-case has been, filled with the goods, the lid or cover is nailed down in the ordinary manner, when the serrated edge of the strip which remains not turned down will form indentations or-impressions on the inside of the lid, and the nailsused to nail down the lid willpierce through the strip of rubber stretched over the end, as aforesaid, which is then cut oli' close to the joint made by the end of the case and the lid. By these means an infallible detector is procured, as it will be found impossible to remove the lid and nail it down again without making a second series of indentations or impressions on the lid, and equally impossible to stretch the rubber', a second time so as to allow the nails to pass through the holes made in it by the nails at the time the lid was first nailed down. Y

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use -my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction.

Figure l Vis a plan view of a' length of my safetystrip.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of part of av which may be made of tin, or any of the well-known sheet-metals, or other suitable material, and which may either be in one piece, doubled longitudinally up the middle, so as to bring the serrated edges, c, together, or it may be made intwo separate strips, of similar or different material, fastened together, with the elastic strip -a between them. The strip made after this manner is punctured at suitable intervals, so as to admit of its being tacked to the inside of the packing case, as shown at d, the perforations also serving to secure the elastic strip a, more firmly in its place between the two sides of the metal strip b.

The safety-strip, made as above described, is designed to be tacked or nailed to the inside end of the packing-case B, so that the serrated edges may rise a little above the edge of the packing-case'B, and form impressions or indentations on the inside of the lid1C, when it is nailed down, as plainly indicated at e.

Before the lid C is nailed down, the elastic strip a is stretched at its utmost tension over the end of the case B, and temporarily tacked down on the outside thereof.

The inner side of the metal strip b may or may not 4be'provided with serrature on its edge, but when it is serrated, the serrated edge is turned down andpressed.

or driven into the end of the packingfcase B, as shown at fit will be readily seen that, .when my safety-strip has been attached in the manner above described,before nailing down the lid, when the lid is nailed down the serrated edge, c, of the outer side`of the metal strip will -make a series of indentations on the inner side of 'the lid C; also, that the nails will pass through the elastic strip c, stretched over the -end of the case B; also7 that it would be impossible to take oii the lid and nail it down a second time ,without making a second series of indentations on the. inside of the lid .0, thus leaving indubitable evidence that the package had been tampered with; likewise, that the elastic strip, having been cut ofr" close to the joint made by the end of the vcase B and the lid C, after the lid was nailed down, would, by its elasticity, iiy back to the nails, and could not by any means be brought ,into the same position a second time, if the lid were taken oi and nailed vdown again, and that thus a second series i of holes made by. the nails would likewise furnish proof its destination and is opened, as the second series of indentationson the lid and the second series of holes ifz'hroughthe elastic material will furnish proof of the act.

It will beA observed that the rubber or other elastic material may be used or employed alone. as a detector or safety-strip. The metal strip may also be used without the elastic material .for the same purpose, and al1 of the above-described strip may be used in sections or in a continuons strip, as may be desired.

Having thus described my invention,

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The strip A, composed of the metal plate b, and the rubber or other elastic material a, the said metal plate being provided with serratures c, substantially as herein shown and described and for the purposes set forth. l

2. The metal strip or plate b, either with or without serrated edges, and with or Without rubber, when used,

as herein described, as a safety-strip for packing-cases.

3. Also, any elastic material when placed between the ends or sides of a packing-case and the lid or cover thereof', to serve the purpose of a safety-strip, substantially as herein shown and described.

4. Either of the above-described forms separately, or in connection with each other, in combination with a packing-case, B, and the lid O, substantially as herein shown and' described. y

Witnesses: SAML BAKER.

J. O. LAWRENCE, J 01m S. THORNTON. 

